Abstract
Despite the rapidly growing interest in exploiting millimeter and terahertz waves for wireless data transfer, the role of reflected non-line-of-sight (NLOS) paths in wireless networking is one of the least explored questions. In this paper, we investigate the idea of harnessing these specular NLOS paths for communication in directional networks at frequencies above 100 GHz. We explore several illustrative transmitter architectures, namely, a conventional substrate-lens dipole antenna and a leaky-wave antenna. We investigate how these high-gain directional antennas offer both new challenges and new opportunities for exploiting NLOS paths. Our results demonstrate the sensitivity to antenna alignment, power spectrum variations, and the disparity in supported bandwidth of various line-of-sight (LOS) and reflected path configurations. We show that NLOS paths can, under certain circumstances, offer even higher data rates than the conventional LOS path. This result illustrates the unique opportunities that distinguish THz wireless systems from those that operate at lower frequencies.
Highlights
There have been several studies of LOS and NLOS channel models in the THz regime
We investigate the idea of harnessing the specular NLOS paths for communication at frequencies above 100 GHz, in several illustrative transmitter and receiver architectures
At lower frequencies below ∼6 GHz, the link budget of NLOS paths has been studied extensively, suggesting lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to extra propagation distance compared to the LOS path as well as additional dielectric and scattering losses as a result of interaction with reflecting surfaces
Summary
There have been several studies of LOS and NLOS channel models in the THz regime. At lower frequencies below ∼6 GHz, the link budget of NLOS paths has been studied extensively, suggesting lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to extra propagation distance compared to the LOS path as well as additional dielectric and scattering losses as a result of interaction with reflecting surfaces.
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